Rewritten
by The Lady Meow
Summary: Years ago a wish was made and lives were changed. Rose grew with no memory of the Huntsclan,her destiny or the love she once shared. Now a best selling author running out of inspiration, she returns to the city her dreams take her every night.
1. Chapter 1

_**Rewritten**_

Disclaimer: American Dragon; Jake Long does _not_ belong to me. If it did, Rose's twin would have been recognized and _this_ would be how things would've gone on after _Homecoming_. I also technically don't own Rose's twin, but I do own her name and personality.

Warning: There are dealings of homosexuality in this story. This means that there will be a gay man and an upcoming lesbian coupling. Nothing above PG-13, but I still don't want flames about it! I warned you specifically, so if you don't like my interpretation of certain characters, well don't read and go away now.

AN: Hello, old readers and new. This may possibly be my last AD; JL fan-fiction… unless I decide to do a sequel to **Her Fate**. Anyway, imagine that _Hong Kong Longs_ never happened. It does not exist, okay? In this way it's sort of an AU, but not quite. Also, there is no photo. Off hand, the only way that the picture would still exist was if he had it on him during his wish, which I find unlikely. Enough of my ramblings, though. Enjoy.

**Chapter One**

_She stood there, unable to think. The dragon she had failed to slay stood before her in the official green suit and mask of a slayer-in-training. His human eyes—filled with worry—stared at her… nothing was said for a moment as the two attempted to comprehend their sudden reunion._

_After grueling months of trying to destroy the Dragon of New York, she'd finally learned his identity. And because of her failure to kill the boy she adored, she was thrown back in rank. She was now forced to continue her training here, in this academy._

_She never believed that she would see this man—this dragon—again. Despite her few calls into his dreams to warn him of her master's plots, she was certain that they were to remain separated. Yet here he was, in the academy, where thousands of men and women were training boys and girls to kill the very thing he was._

_"What are you doing here??" she asked him furiously. _

_"I have to find out what the Master's planning. What are you doing here?" he asked her._

_"I'm being retrained…" she trailed off. She was being retrained so the next time she fought a dragon… she wouldn't fail—thankfully the Master hadn't realized that she'd shown mercy rather than merely failing to kill the dragon... had he known the truth, she'd be in far worse shape. She said no more, but the look on his face told her that he knew. _

_She sighed, "You need to get out of here, Kevin. It's too dangerous here… for you…" _

_Kevin shook his head and narrowed his eyes, "Not until I find out what he's planning," he then held her cheek with his hand and stared into her eyes, "and not without you, May."_

The book shut there, a red ribbon marking the page, and slender hands tossed the book on the wooden coffee table. The blonde shook her head, her long wavy hair being flipped over her shoulder as she cocked her head to look at her sister with a cocked brow, she asked, "How old are these guys supposed to be again?"

Rose pursed her lips in annoyance and answered, "They're fourteen."

"Don't you think that they oughtta act a little more… _fourteen_ then?" she asked critically.

Rose picked up the burgundy couch pillow and threw it across the room at the identical woman sitting in the chair. "Just because May and Kevin are fourteen, doesn't mean they have to act like children. Both of them were forced to mature, May's a slayer and Kevin is a protector of magical beings. That's a lot of responsibility, so forgive them if they aren't immature enough for you, Marie."

Marie laughed, "You forget that they don't exist, sis. They're made up, so don't get so uppity," she stood and picked the book back up. "So when's the new one coming out?" she asked as she handed the dark green hard cover to her sister.

Rose looked at the green book in her hands, gold lettering in an Old English font read _The Slayer_, a simple name for—what she believed—a complex fantasy about a young slayer finding out _who_ she really was and _what_ was really right.

She looked up. Two identical pairs of ocean blue eyes looked at one another for a moment, before Rose tossed the book back onto the table.

Years ago Rose Whitman began a journal which played out the story of the nameless slayer and dragon she dreamt about since she was thirteen years old. It was two years ago that she took that journal and named the slayer and her dragon then transformed the journal into a teen fantasy best seller.

She sighed, though lately it had become a burden and her dreams becoming scarce. Her agent was strict with his deadlines and she only had half of the new book written. "My deadline is in five months."

"That's not too bad; you have a good bit done already."

"Yeah, with no where to go," she muttered. "No dreams… no inspiration… I'm completely blocked!" She dropped her head into her hands. What was she to do?

Marie walked over to her twin, identical to her in every way, she patted Rose's back. "It's okay, we'll think of something," the twenty-five year old told her. She thought for a moment and offered, "Maybe what you need is new scenery."

Rose looked up, "What do you mean?"

"May and Kevin are from America right? New York City? Well, maybe if we go there, you'll get your inspiration back."

"_We_?" she asked.

"You know I was planning on moving back to New York the first chance I got," she'd stated. Marie had a harder time adjusting to Hong Kong than Rose or their little brother Joey did… of course Joey was so young at the time—five years old to their fourteen—that he hardly even remembered his life in America.

Rose nodded, maybe that _was_ what she needed; her own agent had thrown the same idea to her. "Maybe you're right."

Marie rolled her eyes, "Aren't I always?"

Rose shook her head slightly with a smirk, "I won't answer that."

A silence remained between the two for a moment as Marie pursed her lips in thought and ran her fingers lightly along the binding of the book. "Couldn't you have made them older?"

The younger twin by two minutes gave a loud groan in exasperation as she slumped dramatically in her seat.

* * *

Christine wiped her wet eyes as she helped her daughters pack up to leave, "I can't believe my girls are going to be in a whole other country from me," she sighed as she moved a strand of short light blonde hair out of her blue eyes.

"Don't be such a drama queen, Mom," teased the blue eyed sixteen-year-old with short dusty blond hair. Joey grabbed the heavier bags and took them into the living room, toting his mother beside him. He grinned as he put the bags down and looked at his older sisters, "They'll be fine."

Rose gave Christine a reassuring hug while Marie stood up next to their little brother—who currently rested his arm on an annoyed Marie's head. He always enjoyed poking fun at their shorter stature; 5'3 to his 6'1, Marie growled and jumped up to snatch the rectangular wire-framed glasses from him with a loud "Ha!"

"Don't worry, we'll call you once we get there and we'll call every week and you have our e-mail addresses," Rose consoled her, "Right, Marie?"

"Yep! E-mail everyday, call every week. Got the drill!" she shouted as she ran around the small living room, the now practically blind Joey blundering after her. She laughed, "Told you to get contacts, dopey!"

"Contacts bug my eyes, now give them back!"

Rose and Christine laughed lightly at the spectacle. "Oh, how I'll miss their fighting," Christine mentioned sadly.

"Me too, Mom," Rose spoke, equally as sad to leave her family.

* * *

Rose bit her pink lower lip; the farthest she'd ever been from her family was a few blocks. This sudden move… it was taking its toll on her. She looked at her sister who seemed to be having a much easier time than she.

And now it was final… they were going to America. New York was a long way away from Hong Kong and Rose was forced to accept the realization finally. She hugged her parents and little brother; their father arrived in time to drive the girls to the airport. His kind brown eyes wrinkled up as he smiled down on his daughters, proud to send them off on their journey.

Marie stood on her tip-toes to ruffle their dad's thinning gray hair, "No water works from you, old man. Mom's got that covered."

With that said the announcement for their flight was made and the twins went to get on their plane, a last wave to their family.

Once on the plane, Rose took the window seat and looked out the window, saying a quiet goodbye to the home she knew for eleven years.

**That's it. Hope it sounds promising. **

**"City Morgue, you stab 'em, we slab 'em," - My cousin Alicia**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Rewritten**_

Disclaimer: American Dragon; Jake Long does _not_ belong to me. If it did, Rose's twin would have been recognized and _this_ would be how things would've gone on after _Homecoming_. I also technically don't own Rose's twin, but I do own her name and personality.

AN: Some of you noticed that I used the green outfit from season one instead of the maroon one from season two. You'll find that throughout this story I will use certain things from season one instead for the sheer fact that I like it better that way. Like her outfit—green blends in better and is more ninja-like than a color like maroon—and the oracle twins and Eli Pandarus will still look like they did in season one, if they're used. Also, even though _Hong Kong Longs_ never existed, eleven years have still passed so for the sake of argument, Jonathan had learned of his family's secret.

EDIT: Somehow I got the wishes mixed up. The Huntsclan still existed, just Rose was never part of it. I don't know how I got screwed up on that. In any case, I'm fixing it now.

**Chapter Two**

"That'll be all for today, class. Remember to read pages 59 through 72, there'll be a test next class," the teacher told her sixth graders as they quickly rushed towards the door.

"Bye, Ms. Long!" said one of the students, which one she was unsure. She smiled though and waved them all off. Haley looked at the empty classroom and walked around, she pushed in the chairs that were pushed out and she picked up left paper.

She remembered when she was a student, though her time as a student was relatively shorter. Having skipped from fifth grade to the seventh grade, she entered college at age sixteen, now twenty years old and graduated she decided to become a teacher at Mallard Fillmore Middle School.

Returning to her desk, she collected her things. This was the last class for the day and Haley was happy to leave, she would be having dinner with the family today. Once every week the Longs have dinner together, to keep the family close. She enjoyed these Friday's.

She got into her car, on the passenger seat laid a book. She smiled at it, she was almost near the end of the book and already she couldn't wait for the next Slayer book. Yes, as sad as it was, Haley Long had fallen in love with—what she termed—the new Romeo and Juliet of the twentieth century; a lovesick dragon and slayer, forced apart and longing to be together.

Perhaps it was Haley's second life as a dragon that made this book so remarkable to her. Perhaps it was because Rose Whitman's characters spoke to her, it was almost as though she truly knew them. Or maybe it was the Dragon of New York that reminded her so of her love-challenged big brother.

How amazing that Ms. Whitman's characterization of the magical creatures came so close to the true reality of it all. Many times Haley wondered if this author was in fact a magical creature herself, and that was why her story held the air of truth within it. Or was she like Professor Rotwood, instead? Of course not, one could tell much of a writer through their works. In the end, the closeness of Whitman's _The Slayer_ and actual reality of the magical world was most likely coincidental.

It wasn't as though dragon slayers weren't common enough in movies and books, so even the vague similarities between May's tribe and the deceased Huntsclan could also be put off as coincidence.

* * *

It was an easy thing to forget what wasn't there. Years have passed since that Homecoming night and her memory was growing fuzzier with every passing day. Her face was a blur in his mind… blue eyes and a dragon birthmark was all he could remember of her anymore… and her name. _Rose…_

Jake sighed and shook his head as he got out of bed. He was partying too hard last night; it was almost 3:00pm. His head pounded roughly, it was only at these times, as he recovered from a hangover that he actually thought of the girl anymore. When he drank too much and passed out, he would dream of her and then she would be the only thing on his mind when he woke up.

Why was he drinking again last night? Oh right, it was Spud's bachelor party. Jake still couldn't believe that guy was getting married… then again he wasn't sure which was more unbelievable. Spud getting married… or Spud marrying Stacy. He shook his head; Stacy still remained one of his least favorite people… right next to Brad.

At least the party was fun. Strippers and beer… yeah, that was the way to celebrate the last few weeks of freedom. He reached into his back pocket—it seemed he hadn't changed out of his clothing—to find a piece of paper. It had a number on it with the name Jessica underneath it. He threw it away, he didn't date strippers.

He thought again about the girl from his dreams. Rose. Rose, Rose, Rose… he chanted the name like a mantra in his head. He had forgotten so much, he never wanted to forget her name.

But that was what happened when someone wished for an alternate reality he guessed. With the two never truly knowing each other, he was bound to begin to forget her. He met her once after his wish, but then she was gone forever.

Haley had already forgotten all about Rose. Jake wasn't surprised, Haley was so young at the time, and she never really knew Rose at all. Trixie and Spud only held vague memories of the girl… memories that continued to fade. Grandpa and Fu lost memory of her as well…

For that matter, the memory of Huntsgirl had vanished from the minds of all magical creatures. They didn't know what Rose had done for them... Jake was the one credited for the destruction of the Huntsclan. The dragon council even remained unknowing of the prior world. It seemed the only reason he and his friends barely remembered her was because of their history as well as being there for Jake's momentous wish.

It was so easy to forget. Jake fought to remember… he remembered his friends telling him to let her go. He tried. He succeeded too, except for times like this. Beer and alcohol tended to always make one remember what ought to be forgotten.

What was today? Friday… "Leave it to Spud to want to celebrate on a Thursday," he muttered to himself. Or was it Jake's idea? Wasn't there a discount if they went last night instead of the weekend? Probably, he didn't remember too well right now. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep for the rest of the day. He'd probably feel better in the morning and then he could call Danika and see what she was up to.

He happily grinned at the thought of his beautiful brunette girlfriend and then frowned when blue eyes and a dragon birthmark re-entered his skull. How sad was it to still dwell over a middle school romance?? More than sad, it was sick. As much as he fought to retain what little memory he had of that girl, he wanted nothing more to forget her completely.

He looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He'd probably have to stop drinking all together for that to happen. He returned to his bed—fully intent on returning to sleep—when his cell phone rang. He answered it to hear his little sister's voice, "Don't forget dinner tonight."

Damn it.

* * *

Susan brought out dinner to her family. How they'd grown so, she smiled. Her husband sat there; virtually identical to how he looked before, though now his hair was grayer than brown—other than that he looked practically un-aged. Her Haley had grown out of her pigtails, she let her shoulder length hair flow free and she now was but a few inches shorter than Mrs. Long… and her son. Her Jake… it seemed that he would not be cursed with the short stature of her father, as he'd had a growth spurt when he turned fifteen, he still wore his hair in spikes.

As for her father, though more wrinkly than ever before he still seemed relatively unchanged. Fu looked the exact same. And Susan, herself, now adorned with light laughing lines and crows feet near her eyes, remained a beautiful woman. Her hair had grown out and she wore it in a low ponytail. Her smile unfaltering, she served dinner and sat down.

"How has the dragon thing been going, Jakey?" asked Jonathan.

"Same old, same old, an ogre here, a troll there… nothing really new," he replied. Life for the American Dragon had lost its luster lately.

"And what about this girl you've been seeing? When will we be meeting her?" Susan asked.

Jake blinked, "Danika? I don't know. We never talked about it."

"Then talk about it and bring her with you next Friday," she told him. Without giving her son the chance to answer she turned her attention to Haley, "And how's school?"

Haley grinned, "It's great, and I love the kids. There _are _a few slackers and a couple trouble makers… but I just think of Jake and I handle them."

"Hey!" Jake frowned.

"Come on, you _weren't _the best student in school."

"I think I had a good reason for that!"

"Please, Jake, it was that way _before_ you became the American Dragon," she teased.

"Don't argue at the dinner table. You would think that as adults you would have learned to stop acting like children," complained their grandfather.

"She started it," Jake muttered and Haley stuck her tongue out at him.

Fu Dog laughed at the two, "Adults or no, they're still brother and sister."

Susan shook her head and ate her dinner, her husband doing the same. Even with the arguing, it was nice to have dinner with the family… it was just so quiet without them.

**There's chapter two. I guess I just wanted to post what's going on with the Long's before Rose's arrival. I quite enjoy this chapter actually and I hope you did to. **

"**You know, if you told a woman, right now at 8:00 in the morning, that her husband was sleeping with Saddam Hussein, she'd be able to find Saddam by 8:00 that night, and say "Saddam, don't you ever come around my house no more!"" – Jake Hayes (Chris Rock) – Bad Company**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Rewritten**_

Disclaimer: American Dragon; Jake Long does _not_ belong to me. If it did, Rose's twin would have been recognized and _this_ would be how things would've gone on after _Homecoming_. I also technically don't own Rose's twin, but I do own her name and personality.

**Chapter Three**

Blue eyes scanned the streets of New York City from the window of her luxuriously decorated apartment—she had let Marie do the decorating. Rose had too much on her mind… or too little as the case may be. The blond sighed and she pulled her hair up and tied it in loose ponytail; it was such a hot day for autumn.

Rose pulled herself away from the window and made her way back to the kitchen table and to her black laptop. She sighed. It had been two weeks now, since her return to New York, and still May eluded her.

Did this happen to all authors, to reach the climax of a series only to fall oh so short? She wondered if J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer had suffered similar experiences.

The door opened an in entered a grinning Marie; Rose looked to her twin. The other blonde dressed herself in a black blazer, pink blouse and a knee-length skirt, her hair tied up into a bun. Her black heels mimicked the sound of a horse's hoofs against the wooden floor. "I never saw a bartender dress like that," Rose mentioned as she eyed the get-up.

Marie rolled her eyes, "For the interview, doofus. It looks good if you dress professionally even if all you'll be doing is mix drinks."

"Did it work?"

Her sister smiled, "Marie Whitman never fails an interview. The Rainbow Room has a brand new bartender!"

Rose mirrored her sister's grin. Marie loved the nightclub scene; it was her aspiration to open her own nightclub one day and it was in New York that her dream would come true as the woman was convinced.

"You should come by one day," Marie continued on as she let down her wavy locks. "Some partying will be good for you. Better than cooping yourself up in this apartment trying to write a chapter; when I said you needed new scenery, I didn't mean just new walls."

"Somehow I don't think a bar called _The Rainbow Room_ is the type of scenery I need," Rose pointed out.

"It's not like you'll be going there to pick up chicks. You'll be going to have a fun time with your sister at work."

Rose shook her head, "No, Marie."

"You're going. And if anyone tries to put the moves on you, just let them know you're straight. And if she's pretty enough, introduce her to the lovely new bartender," Marie winked.

Rose laughed and looked lovingly at her elder twin. As identical as the two were there were two very distinct differences between the women; one being that Marie was clumsy and couldn't stand in a pair of roller-skates let alone snowboard down a mountain as opposed to her semi-jock of a sister. The other difference being that Rose preferred the romantic company of a man while Marie would rather spend her romantic evenings in the company of another woman.

Marie's sexual orientation was never a problem in their family and when she came out to them when she was fifteen years old, it wasn't quite the shocker she had expected it to be. It seemed that it was a tad obvious when Marie never showed any of the interest in boys that Rose did, and her parents were very accepting of it. Marie was grateful she didn't have to experience what many of her friends did when they came out to their own families; there was no disappointment, crying or preaching… merely acceptance and love.

Many times after, Rose and Marie found it entertaining when a woman would hit on Rose or a man would attempt to pick up Marie. The women would merely introduce the people to the other twin and swap, the two being identical, not many of them cared.

"As much as I love you, I think I'll stay here."

"Please? You need to get out, you can write there too."

"And have beer spilled all over my laptop?" she rose a reluctant brow.

"Fine, be a spoilsport. What if we go to a different bar?"

"Bars aren't my thing, I don't have fun there. I don't like being hit on by drunks who smell so strongly of smoke that I can't breathe."

Reluctantly, Marie gave up… for the time being at least.

* * *

Three days passed and Marie made her way to work around 7:00 p.m. for the first day, she worked the night shift. Excitedly she entered the exotic atmosphere of The Rainbow Room.

The club was loud with rock music and dark, Marie smiled as she relieved the tall bald bartender from his shift. He smiled at the small blond woman, "You're Marie, right? I'm Bo."

"Nice to meet you," she said. "I hope everyone's as nice as you."

He patted her back and laughed, "You'll do fine, honey. Just have fun with it and watch out for Katie. She's always looking for fresh meat."

Marie laughed with the man; did she give the appearance of a young lamb new to a slaughterhouse? Marie was no stranger to bar-tending and certainly not to the bar scene. She expected no different here than from the many other clubs and bars she'd worked at before.

"Dave, your girl is here," Bo called before leaving the scene.

Dave—an older, thin man with graying hair—smiled at Marie. "Good to see you again, Marie," he said to her. Being the owner of The Rainbow Room, he was the one to interview Marie Whitman for the position. He looked the young woman up and down, apparently pleased with her more relaxed look; dressed in black dress slacks and a light purple tight t-shirt, her hair tied into a ponytail.

"Ready to get started?" he asked.

With a nod, Marie grinned wider. "Of course,"

The night went on as Dave trained Marie on how everything was done in his club, she worked with two other bartenders who were both male. There was Frank—or Frederica as he preferred to be called—a very tall, very thin, drag queen with blue eyes and sported a variety of different wigs. Then there was Tony, an African-American man with a toned and muscled build, who was shockingly not gay or bisexual at all and happily married with three little girls of his own. Marie had asked him why he worked there and he replied with a shrug, "Best pay,"

Marie soon learned the origin of Bo's original warning. Katie, a regular to The Rainbow Room and true to Bo's word, she flocked quickly to the new female bartender, "It's been a good while since we had a woman serving drinks," she smiled a grin that would make any out-of-the-closet schoolgirl melt, Marie however had been down this road many times; despite the beauty of Katie's tan skin, green eyes and stick straight brown hair, Marie was unmoved.

Marie had done the bar scene type of woman before, hell she _was_ that type of woman before. And though she loved the club scene, she wasn't as into the women who roamed there anymore. They were a dime a dozen and too disloyal. She'd much rather find someone nice who wanted to settle down.

The crowd was thinning as closing time came closer and soon there were only a few people left. Katie, some blond man and a handful of other couples as well as Marie, Dave, Frederica and Tony; Tony had ushered them all out.

The end of the night after the club was completely shut down, Marie left. As she was opening her car she heard, "Brad Harrison coming out of a gay club??"

She turned around in curiosity, it was the blond man from the club; she walked closer and noticed there was a man snapping pictures of him outside of the club. She sighed and walked faster toward the somewhat drunken man and glared at the man with the camera, "Back off before I shove that camera up your ass!"

"Are you all right?" she asked the blond man, he looked at her with brown eyes.

Nodding, "I'm Brad," he told her with a slur.

"I'll take you home."

**Chapter three finished. I know it focused on Marie quite a bit, but I needed her to grow more as a character; I'm trying to give her the chance that Disney never did. **

**"I'm rash and impulsive. It's a flaw." – Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) – Buffy the Vampire Slayer**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Rewritten**_

Disclaimer: American Dragon; Jake Long does _not_ belong to me. If it did, Rose's twin would have been recognized and _this_ would be how things would've gone on after _Homecoming_. I also technically don't own Rose's twin, but I do own her name and personality.

**Chapter Four**

It hadn't taken but two days for a man's reputation to be ruined. The media was filled with Brad Harrison rumors; the only son of Claude Harrison and an heir to the Harrison fortune had been caught leaving a gay bar.

Marie shook her head with pity and tossed the newspaper into the trash with a swift flick of the wrist. So that was who Brad was; she had wondered that night, why would someone be so interested in what this man was doing in his personal time? However, when she drove him to his lavish home she had a suspicion that he was well-known in the public eye.

She felt truly sorry for the man and disgusted with how cruelly people swarmed over the personal lives of public figures. This was the reason Marie had quickly discarded her aspiration to become a singer when she was a younger teenager; she could never handle the brutality of the media. After all, she was addicted to the media when she was younger and she'd seen what had happened to Britney Spears. Thankfully she had not been attacked by the media by merely the twin sister to a famous author.

She heard the vibration of her small metallic blue cell phone on the wood of the kitchen table she was currently sitting at. Since the sisters both owned cell phones, they figured it was a waste of money to install a home phone. Rose had gone to the grocery store and that left Marie alone. The blond woman picked up the cell phone and looked at the unfamiliar number, with a frown she wondered if she should answer it. It was probably a wrong number anyway, though her curiosity got the better of her and she flipped it open in a single motion.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Marie?" asked a familiar voice.

"Who is this?"

"Uh… Brad… Brad Harrison, from the other night, you remember?"

Her brows furrowed and the corners of her mouth turned down, "Yeah, I do. How exactly did you get my number?"

"I sort of bought it from Dave."

"Isn't that illegal?"

There was a brief pause from the man on the other line, "… You know what? I really don't know…"

"What do you want?" she asked, annoyance creeping into her voice.

"I have a proposition for you… if you would meet me at Ludlow's Café?"

"What is it?"

"It's not really something to be said over the phone. But trust me; I'll make it worth your while."

Marie considered this for a moment, again her curiosity won over any warning alerts that her mind may have been sounding off, "When?"

"Half an hour,"

* * *

Marie stared blankly at the man sitting across from her. Ludlow's Café was a fairly popular café, easy to get lost in—which was why he chose this place. The two had sat near the back of the café in a dark corner; she sipped her cappuccino as he held his black coffee with both hands.

"I can't do this… I have principles, you know," she told him. How ridiculous…

"Look, my reputation is on the line here," Brad pleaded with her.

She frowned, "You know there is _nothing_ wrong with how we are. If you wanna live a lie for the rest of your life, you go right on ahead—and see how happy _that _makes you. But you're _not_ gonna pull me into it, I can promise you that."

"Please," he begged, "help me. You've read what they wrote about me, I'm all over the news!"

"Find yourself a straight girl to play your front then."

Brown eyes met blue in a showdown of wills. Brad sighed, "Marie, you helped me out that night. I'm asking you to do it again," he looked at her with sad eyes as he attempted to persuade her kind side.

"I don't even know you that well, Brad. I helped you that night, yeah, but I'm not going to do it."

Frustration showed in his tight lips that hid clenched teeth, "I need you to, I'm begging you,"

"Why me?" she asked, her voice getting softer. Pity filled her heart for this man, was being found out so horrible?

He showed her the newspaper and pointed to the picture just underneath the headline; it was the same paper she had thrown in the trash at home, however he pointed out something that she hadn't seen before. The picture showed a drunken Brad Harrison, but holding onto his arm was Marie.

"You're in the picture with me and you bartend at The Rainbow Room. I can say that I went to visit my new girlfriend at work, it's perfect. If I asked anyone else, no one would believe it."

With pursed lips she took a sip of her cappuccino, "I don't know, Brad. I'd like to help you, I would. But I hate the idea of lying about who I am… and the thought of being seen in the public eye…"

"I'll pay you," he said quickly and simply, quickly morphing from simpering scared little boy to confident business man. As though he knew he had her right where he wanted her.

She frowned again, "What makes you think I can be- _wow_," she was cut off when he slid a check across the table.

* * *

"Milk, bread, eggs… why am I buying eggs? We don't even like eggs," Rose muttered to herself as she placed the white carton in the cart. She checked eggs off the list in her hand.

A man next to her laughed, "Talking to yourself is a sign of schizophrenia,"

She pursed her lips in annoyance and looked at the man, the man of obvious Chinese blood with spiked hair grinned at her, "So why _are _you getting the eggs if you don't like them?"

"Because they are on the list," she stated as though it were obvious, though knowing clearly that it sounded ridiculous.

"That's a good reason," he shrugged as he picked up a carton of the same type of eggs, "but I think _I'll_ get them because I'll actually eat them."

Rose frowned at this man, "You do that. And next time, don't butt into someone's conversation."

"It's only a conversation if there are two people conversing; you were talking alone so I took the chance to chat with a pretty lady," he winked at her.

She rolled her eyes, "Pick up women at a bar, not a grocery store."

With that she turned and walked away, the rudeness of American men infuriated her. Though perhaps had she not been so stressed out, she wouldn't have been so easily miffed by the odd flirtations of his. This book was beginning to weigh on her horribly and it was taking its toll on her attitude; she felt somewhat badly for her rude reaction to that man. After all, he was harmless enough; it was no reason to bite his head off.

Readying herself to apologize for her brash behavior, she turned back… the man was gone. She sighed, now there was no way to relieve her guilt.

Maybe Marie was right after all… perhaps she did need to get out and have some kind of fun. At this rate Rose Whitman would surely lose her extrovert and fun personality to become a crotchety old shut-in with no friends.

And if she ever saw him again, she would surely apologize. Besides… he had to be somewhere in this store.

* * *

Jake shrugged when the blond woman turned away from him. He wasn't sure what persuaded him to attempt conversation with her, for that matter he wasn't sure opening up with a schizophrenic line was the best course of action. Still he wanted to talk to her, she was a sight to behold, and once he noticed how uptight she was he couldn't help but tease her.

Though it was a good thing Danika wasn't around, she wouldn't have liked him semi-flirting with a beautiful blond stranger. He grinned as he imagined a lovely catfight between the two women. He shook his head when he realized the more realistic outcome of Danika's heel connecting to his groin.

Hell, he was lucky that wasn't the outcome with the annoyed woman. He looked at the eggs in his hand and then back to the woman, before quickly exiting the area. How he hated shopping.

The sexy blond lingered in his mind for only a brief moment after he paid for his items and left the store… she _seriously_ needed to loosen up and have some fun. He imagined she could be quite the firecracker if she wasn't so uptight.

He took out his phone when it played what he deemed his 'theme song'. Looking at the caller id first he flipped it open, "Hey, baby,"

* * *

Rose rushed home after paying for the groceries, she wasn't able to find the man to apologize to, but for the first time since she'd come to America—and she was unsure why she so suddenly was—she was struck by inspiration. Kevin would be found out by May's academy and the two would be thrown into a large battling cage; May would be given one last chance to show her master that she deserved her place by his side… by killing this dragon; thus making up for her failed attempt prior, when she gave mercy. _'Perfect,_' she thought. But she needed to get home quickly before she lost it.

She came to a complete stop and blinked when she opened the door to find her sister home with a friend. It had only been a couple weeks and already her sister had someone over.

That wasn't the shocker to the author, however. It was the fact that the stranger in her home was a man that gave Rose true pause. Furrowing her brows she was sat down by her sister, however before Marie could tell Rose whatever she needed to tell her, the man she was with butted in—what was with men interrupting today anyway?

"Rose Whitman is your sister?? I _love_ your book," he gushed.

Marie shot him a look, "You recognize her but didn't think anything when you met me?"

The man, clearly gay from Rose's point of view, shrugged, then he turned back to Rose herself, "You'll _have _to sign _The Slayer_ for me."

Rose nodded slowly, wondering if Marie had brought some crazy fan into their home to scare her out of the apartment.

And as though Marie had read her mind, she spoke, "Rose, this is Brad Harrison," the introduction was offered and then Rose listened to possibly the most ridiculous story she'd ever heard. A rich gay man hiding in the closet settled to pay a lesbian to pretend to be his heterosexual girlfriend. She'd heard of a front before… but usually _one_ of the couple was actually straight.

Rose stood up, laughing lightly at the crazy scheme one could only come up with from watching too many re-runs of _Will and Grace_. She then stopped and blinked once, as though a thought had suddenly come to her.

She looked at Marie, sitting on the couch with Brad, "He's paying you to be his girlfriend?"

Marie nodded slowly, "But, it's a _lot_ of money, Rose…"

Rose nodded her understanding as she held up her index finger to silence Marie from any further explanation. With a grin and an arched eyebrow she told her sister, "You _do_ know there's a word for that, right?"

The maroon couch pillow then swiftly collided with the blond author's face.

**Well there is chapter four. While the meeting of Rose and Jake was short-lived, it **_**was**_** longer than I initially planned. **

**Originally Jake was supposed to be shopping with Danika and his and Rose's shopping carts would have collided briefly, then both would mutter apologies and a laugh would be shared before both went their separate ways. Though as you can see, it changed as I was writing. I thought this meeting was more entertaining. **

**Why did I tell you this? Because I thought you might find it interesting… think of it as one of those alternate scenes you watch on DVDs. In either case the meeting was **_**supposed**_** to be a short one, after all, I can't have Jake realize his Rose is back too soon now can I? **

**One last thing. About Brad, some of you may find it a tad odd of how I portray him. The way I see it is that the show Brad was a big facade he put on. However with Rose and Marie knowing about him, he's free to be himself. Anyway, a clear view of how I see Brad and why can be explained in 'What They Don't Know', a one-shot starring Brad that I wrote a while back... in fact it was because of that one-shot I put him in 'Rewritten'. ****Well, I'm finished ranting and I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. Because from now on, things are going to get a _lot_ more interesting.**

"**I suppress each photo, cell phone videos, each one costs me a fortune, and then they show up on YouTube... God, I hate YouTube!" – Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor) – Hellboy II: The Golden Army **


	5. Chapter 5

_**Rewritten**_

Disclaimer: American Dragon; Jake Long does _not_ belong to me. If it did, Rose's twin would have been recognized and _this_ would be how things would've gone on after _Homecoming_. I also technically don't own Rose's twin, but I do own her name and personality.

AN: Sorry about the long wait, I got hit with a worm and lost _everything_ on my computer. So I had to rewrite this chapter as well as the other ones I was working on and since I was frustrated I took my time. I'm calmer now though, I have a bit of what I lost back.

**Chapter Five**

The relationship between Jake Long and Danika Honeycutt was not a relationship easily explained. There was an attempted connection during middle school and then all throughout high school the two were classified as the classic on again-off again couple. When they graduated they managed to find a way to stay together, finding a stability that finally made their relationship workable.

That stability, Danika knew, came mainly from her ability to ignore the very strange behavior of her boyfriend. Jake had a history of that odd behavior, he ran off on dates, disappeared for days on end without a call... it was the main reason she continued to leave him— though his charm always luring her back her back to him.

She loved him. She knew she was madly in love with him. It was this love for him that made her accept this secret life of Jake Long. A part of her didn't _want_—almost feared—to know what that secret even was.

However, the woman was beginning to feel a lack of commitment. They'd been together for years—_seven_ years—and they still lived in seperate apartments. He met her entire family, went on vacations with them and had dinner with them, while _she_ had never even been introduced to _his_!

But that would end now, she resolved. Danika had sacrificed enough for this relationship and, damn it, it was time that she got something more from him.

"What?" asked a befuddled Jake.

"Spud and Stacy have been together for five years—_two_ years less than us—and _they're_ getting _married_! We don't even live together," she told him.

"Actually they were together a _lot_ longer... we just happened to find out five years ago," he stalled nervously.

She saw the sweat forming on his brow and with a sigh, she relented slightly, "All I want is to meet your parents. That's all I want. I think I deserve _at least_ that,"

Jake smiled lightly in what appeared to be understanding, "All right, all right,"

"Seriously this time?"

Jake nodded and stood to walk over and give her a light kiss to her lips, "Seriously this time,"

Danika smiled and ran her hand through her shoulder-length, brown hair that she kept pin-straight. "Thank you,"

"I'm sorry about this, Dan. It's just my family is very... strange."

Danika laughed, "My daddy played Yankie Doodle with his _nose_ for you. I don't think you have anything to worry about, baby."

* * *

"Considering the fact that the government hasn't come to imprison and run painful and biological tests on you and your family in an underground lab next to Area 51, I think you'll be okay," Spud told his friend.

Jake sighed and looked at Trixie, perhaps she would be on his side?

She wasn't, "I'm with Spud here, Jakey. It's about time you introduced Dan to your family. They're great! Don't worry so much, they lived with this secret for forever, nothin's gonna happen."

With a nod, the dragon accepted his friends' advice. He really should trust them, how many of Haley's boyfriends did they meet?

Again he looked at his friends, while Trixie kept her clothing style, she did wear more make-up and had cut her hair very short.

Spud had changed drastically over the years. He still kept his fun loving attitude, but it had been calmed down with a sense of duty he now held and now due to his career and long hours, it was very rare to not see the once skater boy outside of a formal suit. As opposed to his wife-to-be, who hadn't changed much at all with the exception of a fuller body and less narcisism, Jake believed... not to say she wasn't still full of herself.

"You just gotta do it, man," Spud spoke again, "She puts up with a lot for you,"

"Besides you're gonna have to tell her eventually and preferably _before_ you're married and your kids are fourteen," Trixie added pointedly.

* * *

So tired. She was so tired.

Her limbs felt as though she were running through miles of wet sand. This was her alarm to stop. Looking over at her twin on the treadmill next to her, she felt disgusted in an admiring way. Still running fast at 6.5—Marie couldn't go past four without falling face down. Beads of sweat glistened on her skin, but other than that there was no sign in Rose of the pain and exhaustion that Marie was enduring.

Marie believed herself to be in great shape, but while there was no physical difference between the twin sisters, Rose's grace and stamina refused to rise in Marie's own body. She didn't know where the woman got it... it wasn't from either their mother's or their father's side, all of whom were brainiacs who shuddered at the thought of a gym. '_Watch out for mommy's side and stay away from chocolates,'_ Marie thought idly in reminiscence of something her mother told them during their teen years.

What kept Rose going for hours? How did she do it? The thoughts kept coursing Marie's mind. Like second nature for that one, she assumed. For years that author trained herself as though for battle... since she was very young... it was one more of her oddities that reminded Marie of a time she didn't wish to recall.

"Rose, can we go?" Marie asked.

So tired and it neared six o'clock. The gym regulars would be parading in soon and Marie preferred the company of beginners—fat and trying to lose weight, they didn't make her feel like such a slob.

"I wanted to do some weights first. We've only been here an hour."

"_And a half_," Marie corrected with a slight whine.

"If you want to go home, go ahead. This helps me clear my mind," Rose told her.

Marie pouted, "No, I'll just get something to drink. Want anything?"

"Whatever looks good."

Marie left and spotted what she wanted. Oh, beautiful Gatorade... lime for her and fruit punch for Rose. She looked over from the cooler when two people walked in. Was it six? Damn.

It was a couple, a black woman and a man from clearly Asian decent—Chinese, Japanese? The man was tall and the woman matched his hight. Marie smiled when they passed her and the man had actually stopped.

"It's you," he laughed at Marie. "What a small world. Didn't think you to be the working out kind, Barbie."

Marie quickly frowned, her blue eyes blazing with fire. "Say that again?"

He let out a breath, though still smiling. "And just as friendly too."

The woman looked at the man, "Jakey, wanna let me in? Who's she?"

"A woman I met at the grocery store, a couple of days ago."

"Excuse me? I never met you, _Jakey_," Marie told him, mocking him.

Jakey—probably Jake or Jacob—looked at her oddly, "Don't tell me, you don't remember me. I interrupted a chat you were having with yourself and you reamed into me for it."

Marie pursed her lips in a small smirk, realizing finally what had happened. "A chat with myself? Could you tell me exactly what I was saying?"

The woman furrowed her brows in confusion as Jake mirrored her expression, Marie believed they thought her insane. Jake opened his mouth to answer, "Something about eggs... Trixie, we should get changed."

The woman—now named Trixie—agreed with fervor and they left Marie to go to the changing rooms. Marie laughed and paid for her Gatorades, the pimply teenager looked at the woman with the same oddness the adults had. "Oh, lighten up, sweetie," she told the boy and returned to her sister.

Rose was now off the treadmill and onto a punching bag, sweat beaded down her face and glistened like glitter on her chest and stomach. She paused to take a swig of the fruit punch flavored Gatorade her sister had brought her, "Thanks."

"So... do eggs have much to say?"

Punching the large bag again, without pause, she furrowed her brows, "What?"

"Nothing," Marie replied with a smile, allowing Rose to beat on the punching bag without another word.

"You are a crazy, crazy woman. You do know that, don't you?"

"I hear that a lot, actually."

"Don't you have a _boyfriend_ to go to?" she asked snidely.

Marie smiled, "I get the hint. I'll leave you alone. I'm sick of looking at sweaty bodies anyway."

Rose didn't watch as her sister left her. She merely focused on the bag and drifted off into May's world.

_Their first kiss. Brief. But loving. _

_May remembered it, still feeling his hot lips on hers. Now... he was gone again. _

_She was safe._

_Forgiven._

_But he was gone and she remained at the Academy. The PA shocked her out of her thoughts as it called out for her name. Ordering her to come to the office; she obeyed. _

_Her master stood there, a proud smile graced his lips underneathe the skull headress he wore. His face shadowed beneathe it, but his eyes glittered with that of a pleased father, which let her know what showed under. "Yes, Master?" she asked, her head held high. _

_"My slayer, you've proven yourself against the dragon enemy. You will join me, back on the field."_

_May smiled beneathe her mask. It was not a smile for becoming more than just an apprentice, but a smile that she might be with Kevin again. _

But that wasn't the case as Rose knew. She battled it in her mind, wanting to give May the peaceful happiness she deserved. She wanted to let May and Kevin be, the Juliet and her Romeo. But that would not happen. May would be around her dragon again, but the story was almost out of Rose's hands. Her master would keep close watch on her, still not completely trusting her. And while May would secretly help the Dragon of New York... she could not be with him, for fear of him being caught.

Suddenly, Rose felt a sense of helplessness and her body felt tired. It was at these times. Wanting May to be happy, yet knowing that she couldn't let it happen... that Rose felt the pages tearing at her. Why couldn't she just make it end? Give it a happy ending and leave May alone?

She didn't know why. But she couldn't let it happen. It was as though the pages weren't hers to write. She was a vessel and the story must be told correctly.

* * *

Trixie looked over to the punching bag, "Hey, Jake. Did your friend change?" she pointed to the ponytailed blonde beating on the bag.

Jake—laying on his back as he lifted the large dumbell—looked over for a brief moment. Barbie looked sexier than ever, sweat beading on her glistening body. "Don't know, don't care," he said simply. Sexy or not, he shouldn't be looking. Looking might turn to touching and that would not be good. He had Danika and Barbie... she was nuts.

**"Dolph! Go get the Helicopter! And Keith!... Change your name! It's not very scary sounding and I get embarrassed saying it!" – Boingo (Andy Dick) – Hoodwinked **


	6. Chapter 6

_**Rewritten**_

Disclaimer: American Dragon; Jake Long does _not_ belong to me. If it did, Rose's twin would have been recognized and _this_ would be how things would've gone on after _Homecoming_. I also technically don't own Rose's twin, but I do own her name and personality.

AN: Had to edit this a little bit.

**Chapter Six**

The Long family had a tradition.

Every Friday evening the family would get together and have a nice dinner. Usually this included the elderly grandfather, the parents, the kids and the family dog. This Friday, however, there was a change in venue.

This Friday, the Longs would have to hide their secret.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you, Danika," greeted Susan.

Danika smiled at the older woman, "Thank you. I've been looking forward to this all week." She briefly eyed her boyfriend who stood there, shifting from foot to foot. "Relax," she whispered to him.

Jake smiled a quick—and rather unconvincing—grin and walked into the dining room with his arm around her.

* * *

"Who's in the mood for Chinese?" sang Marie as she and Brad waltzed through the apartment door with the styrofoam containers and small white boxes.

Rose looked up from the television and turned her head to see the two. "Didn't you guys have a fake date tonight?" Rose had enjoyed her two hours of lounging on the sofa and watching old reruns of the George Lopez show; she found the show while channel surfing and stopped at TV Land where there was a George Lopez marathon.

"Yeah, we made all the necessary appearances for the night. But I was not eating the trash they were serving," she answered. "Kopi Luwak. I'll stop there. If I can't drink their coffee, I won't eat their food. Rich people are_ disgusting_. Look I got you mushu chicken and a shrimp eggroll."

"For the record, Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee you'll ever find," Brad spoke up in defense.

"And the guy serving it told me where the beans came from. So _no_. You're sick. Then I _saw_ what Balut was!"

Rose took her food and rose her brow, "Where does it come from then? And what is Balut?"

"You don't wanna know, it'll ruin your appetite. I didn't want to know, but I do and now I am never eating or drinking at any rich people parties. Ever," Marie sat down, moving her sister's legs and opened up her sesame chicken.

Brad sighed and sat in the chair next to them and looked at the TV. "What's this?"

Rose turned up the volume, "Some old sitcom. I love this guy," she answered, taking a bite of her egg-roll.

* * *

Jake was relieved as his kissed his mother goodbye and left with a very cheerful Danika on his arm.

The night had gone unexpectedly normal; he was sure someone would screw up and some smart ass remark would escape Fu Dog's mouth. That hadn't been the case, however. Danika fussed over Fu and scratched his belly—something Jake found oddly perverted and he glared at Fu briefly—while she and Haley bonded over some book they both apparently loved.

"Did you have fun?" he asked her as she slipped into the passenger seat.

"Yes," she answered with a smile. She leaned over and kissed him, "I love you, Jake Long."

Without a word, he put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her back to him, kissing her passionately. When they pulled apart she grinned at him with a grin that silently promised that this wasn't the end of their night.

He revved the engine and drove off.

* * *

The morning was bright and unforgiving as it peered through the window into Rose's closed eyes. Laughter filled the room, but not real laughter. It was the laughter of a laugh track from some black and white show that was on the television set. It was never turned off.

She cracked her neck and sat up on the sofa, nudging her sister over with her butt. Brad drooled with his head drooped back as he lied across the chair. They must have all fallen asleep during the marathon; they'd been having such a good time watching the wise cracking George and Benny—Benny was Brad's favorite and he said so many times throughout the night.

"Ow," Marie whined and cracked her neck and stretched her arms and legs. She looked at Rose, "You look like crap."

"I look like you," Rose retaliated and stood, heading to the bathroom.

"I call the shower!" Marie attempted to run ahead of her only to have the door shut in her face.

"You hogged the couch, I get the first shower," Rose's muffled voice told her.

Marie went back to the TV room and grimaced when she looked at the drooling Brad. She would have thrown a pillow at him, but figured it would do too much water damage to it. She grabbed the remote and plopped onto the sofa.

When the hot water turned cold, Rose got out of the shower and got dressed and ran a brush through her towel-dried hair. She left the bathroom and went into the living room, "Bathroom's all yours."

"After you used up all the hot water. Thanks."

Rose ignored the snipe and looked over at Brad, still asleep and his mouth wide open and filled with drool. "Should we wake him up before he drowns?"

Marie shrugged, "Let him sleep. If any of it drips to the floor, I'll make him mop. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take my _cold_ shower."

While her sister quickly showered, Brad finally snorted and woke up. Rose laughed at him, "Attractive," she said as he wiped his mouth. "I'm surprised you were able to sleep so long like that."

Brad popped his shoulder and grunted sleepily and pained. "Coffee?" he asked.

"Kitchen," she answered and the blond man rose to his feet and made his way to the kitchen and moments later, returned to the chair with his coffee. She handed him the remote and grabbed her laptop.

"That's the latest one, right?" he looked over at her for a moment before beginning to flip through channels. He settled on the weather. It would be a chilly day.

Rose nodded. "Yeah,"

"How many more do you think you'll write?"

"I don't know really. This might be the last one with the way I'm feeling. I can't really see them any older."

Brad nodded, "So the next step is to turn them into movies, right?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, that's what all great books end up as. They're turned into movies so people who don't read can get in on the hype."

"I don't think I want my books turned into movies."

"Why not? I mean, I love your books, but you'd make a lot more if you had them turned them into movies."

Rose shook her head, "It's not about the money. It's a story that I needed to tell. And I know the characters so well... I see them so perfectly, I don't think any actors could _be_ them. And May and Kevin are too important..."

Brad stared at her for a moment. "It was just a thought."

Rose blinked and laughed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I get possessive of them. Sometimes I feel like they're real."

Brad joined in her laugh, quietly and more nervously, "I get it. I do; you created them. They're your babies."

Rose smiled lightly at him. "Something like that."

* * *

Stupid sun. Stupid pink sheer curtains. That was something he could never understand. What was the point of having curtains that let everything in? Curtains were supposed to provide privacy and dark mornings, Jake thought bitterly as he pulled the flower printed blanket over his head.

He peeked over the blanket to look at the sleeping beauty that remained unbothered by the cursed sunlight. This was perhaps the only downside to sleepovers at Danika's place. She might be able to continue sleeping with the sun's evil rays beaming in her face, but Jake needed darkness.

The moon was too much light when he tried to sleep. He hid back under the blanket.

With a sleepy moan he quietly got himself out of the plush bed and stalked off to the kitchen. Coffee, coffee... he needed coffee.

"Morning, baby," a sleepy voice stopped him as he pulled out a Disney World coffee mug.

He turned his head and smiled, "How'd you sleep?"

"Didn't get much sleep," she grinned sheepishly and tried to pat down her touseled hair, she was wearing the shirt he'd worn the night before; she could swim in that shirt. It was shocking how she had stopped growing at fifteen and he continued to grow until he towered over her—he'd been convinced he'd end up being the size of his grandfather for years. She looked so beautiful. "Is that coffee?"

"Yes, yes it is," he answered in a fake suave, english accent that he'd butchered.

She laughed at him and got herself her own mug, Mickey kissing Minnie. Danika loved everything Disney related. It made her very easy to shop for, the simplest trinket of Pluto would make her giddy. "What are you doing today?"

"Had some stuff to do with Spud and Trixie."

"Stuff?"

He smiled at her and sipped his coffee.

"Specific as always aren't you?" she asked sarcastically and he kissed her.

* * *

"Will someone tell me how we went from fighting trolls to shopping with one??" Trixie asked furiously into Jake's ear.

"Not a clue."

"Arthur, isn't this just beautiful??" Stacie asked excitedly and scanning it with the gun the cashier had given to her to register as possible presents their guests could get them. Spud just smiled and walked with her as she picked out everything she could possibly want and registered it.

"You think all your guests are gonna be able to afford this stuff?" Trixie asked her.

Stacie smiled a smile that an annoyed parent would give to their child and said placatingly, "Trixie, _my_ friends come from well-off families. You can get us something from Walmart if you're worried."

Trixie scowled at her.

Spud kissed Stacie's head adoringly and asked her to be nice now.

Stacie's eyes widened, "Brad!" she exclaimed as she spotted their old classmate. He had a pretty blonde hooked around his arm too. She hugged him and looked at the woman. "Who's this? Will she be your date to the wedding?"

Brad grinned, "Still planning on marrying this loser?" he asked teasingly.

"Be nice, now," she repeated Spud's words to her. "He's going to be my husband."

As Stacie rambled on with Brad, Trixie eyed the blonde. "Hey, Jakey, ain't that your friend from the gym?"

Jake blinked, "Can't get away from you now can I?"

The blonde looked at him and laughed, "The dude from the gym. Right on."

Brad looked down at her, "You know Jake, Marie?"

"Yeah, we met at the gym."

"Actually first we met at a supermarket," Jake clarified.

Marie giggled, "Yeah. Was talking about eggs."

Stacie smiled awkwardly, "Eggs?"

Before she could answer, another blonde woman came up behind them. Jake stared and Trixie's mouth dropped very lightly.

"Oh, my god... you're that guy," the newcomer had said. "I wanted to apologize for my words back then... but you'd left already. What are the odds?"

Jake looked at the newcomer and then to Marie. Twins. "Well, I thought I caught up with you at the gym but apparently that was your sister," he told her. Shaking his head, "Suddenly things make a little more sense now. I'm Jake and you're forgiven. I shouldn't have butted into your... conversation."

She laughed a melodic laugh, "Well, I should have kept it quiet in the first place. I'm Rose," she shook his hand.

Jake froze.

Stacie spoke up, "That doesn't rhyme with Marie. Why aren't you a flower name too?" she turned her attention to Marie, "Isn't that what parents like to do with twins?"

Rose answered, "Mom didn't know there was two of us. Marie was hiding behind me and Mom wanted to name us Rosemarie."

"But when we both came out," Marie took over, "she named her Rose Marie and me Marie Rose."

"She thought she was being clever," the twins said in unison. They'd told this story before clearly.

The others continued chatting the twins and Brad up. They spoke of the wedding and plans and Brad's new girlfriend. Rose wrote a book of some kind but Stacie never read it and said, "I usually wait for the movie to come out,"

But Jake was only half listening. He nodded and appeared as though he was interested—he must have considering Trixie hadn't elbowed him in the ribs. He stared at her.

Her long, lightly curled blonde hair.

Her large sky-blue eyes.

Her name.

Rose.

A name he both wanted to remember and to forget for years.

A name he desperately held to when he was alone and drunk.

She stood there in front of him, laughing with his friends and Stacie and Brad. He could even touch her if he willed himself.

He didn't though. And he wasn't sure if he was right. She could have been a different blonde woman named Rose.

Then she said, "We recently moved here from Hong Kong."

And he knew. This was the girl he'd tried to find.

The girl who tried to give her life to save his and his family's.

The girl who he wished away.

Huntsgirl.

Rose.

Jake was so lost in his memories as he replayed the last time he'd ever kissed her. But that never happened. He replayed their last battle, their last meeting. Everything was so vivid—was he fourteen again? He hadn't even noticed when she left with Brad and her sister. A hand waved in front of his face and he blinked.

"You okay, dude?" Spud asked him.

Jake nodded slowly, "Yeah, yeah, I'm good."

"What was that about?" Trixie asked.

"I'll tell you guys later..." he trailed off, looking at the door and debating what to do now. Should he run after her? She didn't know him anymore though. He ran his hand through his black hair and looked at the others. Stacie was happily scanning all the objects she desired, oblivious to Spud and Trixie staring worriedly at the previously zoned out Jake. "I'll tell you later," he muttered again, more to himself this time.

**Seven Pages. Wow. It took a lot of rewrites to get this one out.**

**If you want to be really grossed out, look up Balut and Kopi Luwak. Nasty. **

"**I don't wanna be the bigger person! I wanna be small and mean... like a scorpion. I'll be like that [Imitates a scorpion waving its pincers] Then I get you all distracted by my pincers. Oh, but you forgot about my tail. WHAPAH!" – George Lopez**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Rewritten**_

Disclaimer: American Dragon; Jake Long does _not_ belong to me. If it did, Rose's twin would have been recognized and _this_ would be how things would've gone on after _Homecoming_. I also technically don't own Rose's twin, but I do own her name and personality.

AN: Well now… it has been such a long time since I last updated and for that, I apologize. Been feeling a bit overwhelmed with classes and my other fan-fictions. In the future I'm going to remember not to do more than two fan-fictions at a time. Thankfully I managed to stop myself from overdoing it with yet _another_ fan-fiction idea that's been circling my mind until this is done. I am probably going to put most of my focus on finishing _Blazing Hearts_ and _Confliction_, but I swear that I will not let _Rewritten_ die.

**Chapter Seven**

Trixie blinked in disbelief, her mouth agape just slightly. "You mean to tell me that _that_ was Rose? As in the _Huntsgirl_, Rose??"

"There never was the Huntsgirl, remember? I made sure of that," Jake told her. "But yes… she's really her..." he dropped his head and let it hang while he sat on the sofa. "I can't believe it."

"Wow, man… this is heavy… what are the odds?" she asked.

"2,478,315 to one," Spud answered her. He looked at Jake, "What are you going to do now?"

Lifting his head, Jake raised his eyes to meet with Spud's own. He sighed, "What am I supposed to do? I can imagine it now, 'Hey, Rose, you don't remember, but we used to date and fight evil together until I made a wish that changed history'. She'll probably punch me in the face, run away, and call the psych ward."

"You don't have to tell her. You could get to know her again, become her friend," he offered.

Trixie pursed her lips, "You've been obsessin' over this for years. Now she's here, do ya have any idea of what ya wanna do?"

Jake shook his head, "I mean, yeah, I have thought about it. You guys know I have… but now that I saw her… I heard her speak… I don't know if I'm gonna do anything. I know she's in New York and I want to fly over the city until I find her, but I also want to go to the bar and try to forget this happened. Even if I do get to know her again, it'll be weird because I'll be closer to her than she is to me. I have these memories that she doesn't have… she might not even be the same Rose anymore… and what about Danika?"

"We're not saying to forget about Danni," Trixie frowned at him. "We're not saying fall in love with the woman, we're sayin' that maybe this is the closure ya need."

Spud grinned, "This is what you need to finally move on. Rose is the last woman—girl—you've ever let in on your secret and then she was gone in a second! You never really knew what happened to her, how she adjusted. Now you have that chance, you'll be able to get to know her again and you'll finally be able to give yourself completely to Danika."

"I don't think getting to know Rose again will fix me and Danika. We're not even broken, we're doin' really good right now."

Trixie leaned back, "It's just a suggestion, Jakey. We know you. Tryin' to avoid the situation is just gonna make things worse."

"You guys don't remember her like I do… if I get to know her again, it'll be too weird."

* * *

"For a guy, that Jake is pretty cute," Marie grinned at her sister.

Rose smiled back, "And your point is?"

"That maybe you should've asked for a number," Marie opened the windows, it was warm and there was a beautiful breeze that was perfect for airing out the apartment. "I mean, how many times have you bumped into him?"

"Twice."

"And it would have been three times if I hadn't interfered at the gym. I think Fate wants to give you a new boyfriend,"

"He may already have a girlfriend," Rose told her, now slightly annoyed. "And even so, I don't want a boyfriend and I don't need one."

"It'd be nice if you had something other than that damn book."

"I have you," Rose said quietly.

Marie frowned, "I'm not enough. I'm afraid, Rosie… I don't want—"

"That won't happen again," Rose cut her off and turned off her laptop. "It was a long time ago, Marie, just let it go."

Without letting her twin say another word, Rose slipped out of the apartment and shut the door behind her swiftly, just a degree lower than a slam. Unexcused anger pulsed through her veins and she closed her eyes, holding her laptop close to her chest. She ought to calm down, but she couldn't. She shouldn't have been angry at Marie, but she was—she couldn't help it.

She opened her eyes and looked at the street. People walked by her… people she would never relate to. She walked until she reached Central Park; she found a bench and sat down. Opening her laptop, she frowned. The sun shone too brightly against the screen and she couldn't see the words that told her story—May's story.

With furrowed brows she looked around and spotted a large tree. Perfect. She got up and sat beneath the tree; the shade offered her the ability to read the laptop screen, a few leaves fell around her and she saw the beauty of the park. Very few people were out today, which she found strange considering how lovely this day was. She sighed and leaned her head against the tree trunk.

She felt bad for leaving in such a huff, but Marie knew better than to bring that up. It was the past and that was where Rose wanted to leave it, she wanted to forget it. _'Okay, so I don't relate that well to other people. Who cares?'_ she asked herself in irritation. She looked at her laptop, it was true that she was busy with her book, but she had a deadline to meet! And there were plenty of authors who related more to their own characters than to the people around them… and besides… her book was more interesting than her life. Rose always thought that she belonged in a world with more adventure and magic—she stopped her train of thought quickly and shook her head, bringing her hand to the bridge of her nose.

She couldn't think like that. She had to stop.

She focused on _The Slayer_. She focused her attention on her keyboard, May and Kevin, and their trials. Before she knew it, the sun was beginning to set as she typed furiously and when she finally looked up from the screen… the sun was gone and the moon now replaced it.

She saved her work and turned off the laptop before she slowly closed it. Standing up and looking around, she sighed, "This is just perfect. I'm alone, it's dark… I'm just waiting to get raped or mugged," she muttered to herself.

She walked out of the park and headed to the subway, she would not be walking home alone at this time. What was this time? She looked at her cell phone and frowned, how did she manage to stay out until 11:45 p.m. and not realize it?

She took a breath and sat down, tapping her nails on her laptop as the subway train began to roll. She looked around; there was a man who sat down, reading a newspaper on one side of her and two ugly men who stared at her on the other side of her. She looked down immediately and tapped her foot.

The two ugly men began to walk up to her, one sat beside her and the other sat down across from her. "What a pretty little girl, eh?" asked the one sitting next to her.

The other leaned forward and grinned, she could smell their breath—heavily laced with vodka or some other strong liquor. "Yeah, that she is. I love blondes," he reached over to touch her long hair and she jumped and smacked his hand away.

"Don't touch me!" she demanded.

"She's a fighter, _hm_? I like them with a little fire,"

Rose smacked him and he grabbed her wrist, while the other man grabbed her hair.

"That's enough, clowns," the man who was reading the paper set it down and stood up.

Rose blinked and looked over to him. Jake?

"What're you gonna do, boy?"

In a flash, Rose was released and the men were on the floor. She furrowed her brows as they scrambled out of the train when it stopped. "How did you—" she began, but couldn't finish her question. It didn't matter how he managed to save her with such speed and efficiency. It didn't matter that it was strange for him to be sitting on the same train as her at the same moment she needed him. All that mattered was that he was and that he saved her. "Thank you."

Jake eyed her, "Do you usually ride on the subway alone this late?"

"I lost track of time and I was afraid to walk home," she told him.

He looked as though he was ready to scold her, but he must have decided against it. He sighed and asked, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "I'm fine. Thanks, again."

"Where do you live?" he asked her sitting down.

Rose answered, "The apartment complex on Third and Wesson."

Jake looked at her and then up, "I'll get you home safe," he told her and Rose smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you."

**This was a difficult chapter to write, but I think I managed to get what I needed to done. The rest of the chapters will come a lot easier—the ideas are just pouring to me now.**

"**Thank you, you useless reptile" – Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) – How to Train Your Dragon**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Rewritten**_

Disclaimer: American Dragon; Jake Long does _not_ belong to me. If it did, Rose's twin would have been recognized and _this_ would be how things would've gone on after _Homecoming_. I also technically don't own Rose's twin, but I do own her name and personality.

**Chapter Eight**

Jake hadn't expected to see her when he did. He didn't expect to speak to her. And he didn't expect to possibly save her life.

After talking with Trixie and Spud about his realization, he went over to Danika's for a brief time. She could always relax him when his thoughts wouldn't quiet down, she could make him stop thinking completely in those moments he needed it. His mind would go blank and the only thing he could do was to feel. And at these times, he felt great.

Except for today, it seemed.

Today all he could think of was the reappearance of Rose. He tried to forget about her and tried to focus completely on Danika. Unfortunately, despite Danika's enthusiastic efforts, Rose remained in the back of his head. He briefly became blinded by the moment of lust and ecstasy, but once the moment had passed… instead of the relaxed feeling of bliss, the blonde came back to the front of his mind with full force.

He looked at the brunette beauty laying beside him peacefully, staring up at him with large brown eyes. He smiled at her.

"Do you have to go to work?" she asked him.

He nodded. That he did. The American Dragon had a job, at least. Danika never knew what his second job was and she didn't ask anymore. He brushed a long strand of dark brown hair behind her ear, "Hate to go," he told her.

"I know. I'll be here in the morning."

He smiled for a moment before getting up and grabbing his clothing. He left and transformed into his dragon form and took off. The night seemed quiet enough, but passing over Central Park, he frowned.

Rose?

What was she doing out this late at night? He followed her and listened to her curse herself for staying out so late. Transforming back into his human form, he followed her quietly, unnoticed and not really wanting to be noticed. He just wanted to be sure that she was safe and that she would get home safe. He slipped into the train after her and sat down, pulling a newspaper that had been laying there up to cover his face.

It was then that the two thugs started in on her. Anger boiled in Jake's veins as he watched them close in to trap her. _'Come on, Rose, show them what you can do, beat the hell out of them,'_ he silently pleaded and was sadly reintroduced to the fact that Rose wasn't Huntsgirl anymore when she attempted to free herself from them.

The moment the creep beside her pulled her hair back, he threw the paper down and ran at them. With fury in his eyes he slammed his fist into the first guy's face—the unexpected hit forcing him to release the long blonde hair—and Jake's mind blacked out; the fight was over before he realized it as the cowards ran outside.

He looked at Rose and sighed when she thanked him. Doing what he could not to let her realize how much that had effected him, he asked her a smart-ass question and was answered. He decided quickly enough to escort her home and when he received a kiss for his heroic efforts, everything stopped and he felt his heart drop into his stomach and flutter about.

When they left the train, he headed towards her apartment with her. "So you're kind of a big deal, right?"

Rose looked at him and rose a brow.

"You write books, people like them, _Brad_ even likes them and I didn't even know he could read."

She laughed, "Brad really is something else. Yes, _The Slayer_ has given me about as much fame as a writer can get."

"That one of your books?"

"It's my only book. All of my books are part of _The Slayer_ series," she told him.

Curiosity took over and he asked, "So what's it about?"

She grinned and hugged her laptop to her chest as though it were precious, "It's about a forbidden love between a dragon slayer and the dragon she is destined to slay."

Jake stopped and stared at her.

She frowned and stopped when she realized he was no longer in stride with her. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

He shook his head and began to walk up to her again, he laughed it off, "It made me think of something, but I lost it," he told her. "So... what made you write about something like that?"

She paused and bit her pink bottom lip, "My dreams. It's all I dream about, isn't that weird? They started after I turned fourteen. They're so vivid, it's no work at all usually to write them down. I moved back to New York, because, I'm lacking an ending. Since it takes place here, I thought that since it takes place here, I'd find more inspiration."

"Is it working?" he couldn't help but ask.

"My dreams feel stronger her. I mean, they've always been strong and vivid, but they're… more intense here…" she looked at him and smiled almost shyly.

Jake was at a loss for words, so he silently nodded. He didn't ask anymore about her book, he couldn't as her more. He was afraid of what she might tell him. And of how he might react to what she told him. He was delighted that some part of her remembered him too—even if she did think that he was a character that she made up. Misery set in when he realized that a dream was all he was to her.

"Well, this is me," she interrupted his thoughts, gesturing to her apartment building.

"Oh. Well, good," he said.

"Yeah," she swayed. "Thanks again, you know. For everything."

He smiled, "Just stay away from these late night walks. And keep track of the time."

Rose laughed, "I'll make sure of it. I don't know how to make this up to you,"

"You could always sign a book for me. When I buy one."

She smiled brightly and grabbed his hand, pulling him inside. "I'll do you one better!"

Heading up the stairs, Jake allowed images and thoughts of how she might reward him flew through his mind. Some of them naughtier than he should have let himself think and he shook his head to get rid of them. He was involved with Danika—beautiful, sweet, trusting Danika. And this was _Rose_, he couldn't think of her so perversely… although one could account for all those years of unfulfilled desires… he shook his head and stopped those thoughts as immediately as they came.

She opened the door and let go of him as she headed into one of the rooms, leaving him to look around. It took perhaps a moment or two until she came back down and knelt down with a book. She wrote in it and gave it to him with a brilliant smile. "Now you don't have to buy the first book and you'll be free of buyer's remorse. You know, if you don't really like it."

He smiled back at her, "I'm sure I'll love it. In fact I might become your biggest fan,"

Her smile became shy again and she held her arms behind her back, "Well, I don't want to wake Marie… I ought to go to—"

"Right! Okay! Yes, I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm gonna go, I'll see you around," he said quickly as he headed towards the door.

She shut it behind him after muttering a final, "Thanks."

He heard her lock the locks and he walked out of the apartment building. He smiled to himself as he walked down the streets, heading back to the subway to go home. He looked at the green book with a young girl holding a staff, a dragon flying in the background. _The Slayer_ written in gold lettering and her name, Rose Whitman, written beneath it in the same font and color.

He opened it to take a look at what she wrote to him:

_To Jake,_

_The hero of New York, you're great. Thanks for everything._

_Rose Whitman_

A grin couldn't get any wider and any New Yorker who might have been out, probably stared at him with incredulous looks, but if anyone had it wasn't noticed by Jake.

All that was on the American Dragon's mind was getting home and beginning the book that had been written by a woman he'd never thought he'd see again. A woman he thought had forgotten all about him. He went into an ally, transformed, and took flight.

**Holy crap, what's this?? Another update only three days later?? I felt so bad at the lack of updates that I had to do another one really quick. This wouldn't leave my mind since I last updated. Also, I really wanted to break in my brand new laptop. ^_^**

"**[**_**watching a "Tortoise and the Hare" cartoon on TV**_**] You believe this guy? Come on, Ninja kick the damn rabbit. Do something." – Michelangelo (Michelan Sisti) – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie **


	9. Chapter 9

_**Rewritten**_

Disclaimer: American Dragon; Jake Long does _not_ belong to me. If it did, Rose's twin would have been recognized and _this_ would be how things would've gone on after _Homecoming_. I also technically don't own Rose's twin, but I do own her name and personality.

**Chapter Nine**

Marie grinned in entertainment and she watched her sister's nimble fingers run away at the keyboard of her laptop. Nearly two weeks had passed since Rose—in her one moment of true idiocy that could only be described by the color of her hair—had stayed out too late and required the heroism of a man who seemed to have quite quickly snatched her attention. Ever since that incident, Rose was filled with visions—because they were too vivid to simply call ideas—for May and Kevin.

"Suddenly wishing the two lovebirds were older?" she asked slyly.

Annoyed blue eyes met laughing ones and Rose asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I can't blame you for getting worked up over the hero. Hell, if I were a straight woman, I'd be drooling too."

Brad nodded in agreement, "Damsels always fall for the heroes who save them; classic tale."

"I wouldn't say I was a _damsel_ exactly…" Rose set her laptop down and turned to look at them; she briefly wondered when Brad became such a fixture in their lives.

"Well, you're no May," he told her.

Rose promptly frowned and Brad inched behind Marie as he felt a sudden pang of regret—and fear—for his words. Marie spoke up before anything could—if it would—happen, "It doesn't matter if you're a damsel in distress or a fictional ass-kicking slayer, Mr. Long is quite the male hottie. And, please, with a name like that, it's a wonder he's no porn star."

"I can't tell you how often I thought the same thing going to school with him," Brad admitted quickly. "He was a short thing back then, but I always wondered if his name could be, y'know, associated with him physically in _some _way."

Marie grinned, "I love how you mask your perversion so thinly."

Rose shook her head, "Both of you, shut up. I'm _working_," she snapped at them.

Ignoring her, Brad focused on Marie, "It wasn't only that either about him. Sure he was cute and so much fun to get into fights with, but he had this untouchable attitude and this mystery about him. He was irresistible and if anything, it's only like a thousand times more intense!" he told her in excitement. "You really can't blame Rose's reaction."

"I'm not having a reaction!"

Marie smirked, "I saw the name Kevin was spelled J-A-K-E in a few sentences."

Rose looked up with a glare, "I told you not to read what's on my laptop!"

"What I did or didn't do doesn't matter, the point is that I could still find that chapter and point out the name _Jake_."

"If it's in there, all that means is that I was tired and the incident was fresh in my mind. It isn't uncommon to make a couple of missed typos. They'll be fixed in the next proofread."

"Excuses, excuses… I'm sure Brad could get his number from that sassy bride for you."

Brad nodded, "It wouldn't be a problem. Not for my _Rose-A-Licious_."

Marie laughed loudly.

Rose stared at him, "… Do not ever call me that again."

Marie laughed louder, "You kidding me? I _love _that! _Rose-A-Licious_, fantastic!"

Rose pouted, "Save the pet names for your fake girlfriend. And Marie, if you want to continue looking like me, don't call me that. _Ever_."

"I'll try to contain myself," she said with a wicked glance at Brad. Brad smirked in response and Rose audibly groaned.

"So do you want me to get his number?" Brad asked her.

"No!"

* * *

"Why do you want me to give you Brad's number?" Stacy asked with an irritated flip of her long ponytail. She loved Arthur—she truly did—but her affection did not extend to either of his best friends. But, because she loved him, she tolerated the two as best as she could force herself.

"Look, I just wanna get a hold of someone and he's the only one who can help me," he told her.

She eyed him with a quirk of her eyebrow, "And I'm the only one who can help you get a hold of him. Why should I, anyway? We've never been friends."

"I'm Spud's friend."

"Yeah and that means that I have to put up with you; I _don't_ have to help you. Besides, don't you already have a little girlfriend?" she asked him.

Jake furrowed his brows, "What-"

Stacy stopped him before he could say a word, placing one slender—fully manicured—hand, palm first, in his face. "Whatever, I know that you're only interested in his new friend. You couldn't take your eyes off her—don't think I didn't notice."

He gritted his teeth, "Look, just give me the number and I'll leave you alone."

She rolled her eyes and pulled out her glitter-pink cell phone, "Whatever,"

Jake punched the number into his own Motorola as she read it off in a completely bored voice and thanked her—in a not entirely insincere tone of voice—before rushing off to call Brad.

* * *

"Fate's calling again, Marie," Brad grinned and looked at his friend and girlfriend-for-show before looking up and walking over to Rose—who had since their brief altercation returned to her writing. He handed her the phone.

Blue eyes met brown in confusion. "It's for you," he told her.

Rose's gaze hardened and her lips set into a grim thin line, "I told you—"

"I didn't; he did."

She took the phone, "Hello?"

"Thanks for meeting me," Jake smiled when she arrived at his grandfather's shop.

* * *

She matched his smile with a small one of her own, "Well going through such lengths to contact a girl usually results in a "yes"." She looked around, "Although asking to meet at an electronics store was unexpected."

"It's my grandpa's shop," he told her. "I spent most my time here as a kid, still do."

"That's cute," she replied as he led her into the back. She sat down on the couch and he sat next to her first and then got up and moved to the chair. She held back a giggle; he just looked so anxious.

"I read your book."

"Either that's a good thing or you're about to give me the critiquing of my life."

"No," he laughed. "It was fantastic. I just—how did you say you came up with the ideas again?"

She rose a brow and smiled tolerantly, "It's odd. _The Slayer_ is a dream. I always dream about May. And about Kevin; I was compelled to write about them. When I was thirteen I began dream journals… those journals turned into the books."

"Are their names May and Kevin in your dreams?"

She looked at him oddly, "No. They don't have names in my dreams… is this all you wanted to talk to me about? The book?" she asked him.

He shook his head, "No, I was just wondering. I liked it. You're a great writer."

"Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm surprised you read it so quickly."

"Couldn't put it down," he told her honestly.

**Another long wait, I apologize. I thought when I took the summer off of classes, I'd have more time. Sadly this was not the case.**

"**The **_**rat**_** is the cleanest one" – April O'Neil (Paige Turco) – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.**


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: American Dragon; Jake Long does _not_ belong to me. If it did, Rose's twin would have been recognized and _this_ would be how things would've gone on after _Homecoming_. I also technically don't own Rose's twin, but I do own her name and personality.

AN: Shoot me now, for I deserve it. I promise I'm as tired of offering these excuses as you all are of reading them, but in my final semesters at college I have been swamped with work and homework. But the latter shall no longer be an issue: I graduated with my Bachelor June 9th! Therefore while I still have a lot of work and shall be searching for a better job, I will have free time to write as I please. However, there were a few stories that I had to cut loose due to having been involved in too many. Rewritten is not one of them, clearly. So again, I'm sorry and I hope you forgive me, those of you who haven't already deleted this story from their alerts/favorites. Enjoy the chapter ten.

**Chapter Ten**

Rose knew. On some subconscious level, Rose knew who she was and she knew who Jake was. He was sure of it—the book was proof of that! And she gave him the book, she wanted him to read it, so there was more proof that she knew. Even if she didn't know she knew, she did.

Jake just wasn't sure how to process the information. Calling her was impulsive and stupid, he realized as he sat on the old moth-eaten couch and looked at the blonde former dragon slayer. Blue eyes watched him with an expression of interest and mild confusion. He told her that he couldn't put it down, she thanked him for such praise, but now an awkward silence lay thick in the air. What could he say? What _should_ be said? The American Dragon knew what he wanted to say, he wanted to tell her what she wrote was the truth, he wanted to tell her that she was the Huntsgirl and he made a wish to save her. He wanted her to know how he sacrificed his heart to save her...

Choosing a more tactful approach, he asked, "So, what's in store for Kevin and May now?"

"You'll find out in the next book," she told him with a smile that looked more like a coy smirk. She ran her fingers through her hair, "Is that why you got my number? To call me in for a mini-book club meeting?" Her tone of voice was light and slightly patronizing.

Jake wondered when the last time he blushed was when he felt his cheeks begin to burn. "Ah, no, not really. I just wanted to talk to you, I figured that talking about your book would be the easiest way to start."

She laughed. "You're already my personal hero, _Mr. Long_. I think we're passed the ice-breaker stage."

"Action is easier than talking."

"Okay, then I'll ask the questions and you answer them."

It had certainly begun that way. Rose asked him questions of his childhood, his family and friends, his work... soon questions were no longer needed and both were telling each other stories of their lives. Laughter and chatter replaced the silence and the awkwardness dissipated as old friends were reacquainted.

It wasn't until his phone rang that Jake realized that it had already passed midnight by forty-one minutes. He looked at his cellphone and Danika's face appeared, "I should take this," he told Rose who was checking her own phone.

"Wow, I didn't know it was so late. Go ahead, I have to get going home anyway."

"Hold on a minute and I'll take you home," he told her. Four rings after the initial he finally accepted the call, "Hey, Dan. Yeah, I know it's late, sorry. I got caught up helping Gramps with his inventory. I'll be home soon, yeah... love you too," he shut the phone.

"The girlfriend?" Rose asked with a small smile.

Jake looked up at her from his phone, "Yeah. I wasn't trying to hide you or nothin'. It's not like we did anything wrong or anything, it's just she wouldn't get it, y'know?" he told her, trying to explain his lie without looking like a jerk, or worse, a fool.

"As part of the feminine persuasion, I can understand why telling her that you spent all night with a blonde you barely know might cause a problem."

"So you know how she feels about blondes, huh?" he joked and she laughed. He stood up, "C'mon, I'll take you home."

"Always the hero, aren't you?" she asked as she grabbed her purse.

He held the door open for her and locked up the store. "You have no idea."

* * *

Jake Long was a sweet man. He was heroic and brave and though Rose knew him for such a short period of time, something sang to her when she was near.

Inspiration.

If nothing else, the author had found her muse. And there would be nothing else, Rose asserted to both her sister and herself—she admitted she found an attraction to Jake, but she would do nothing about it. He was in a relationship with a lovely woman. Rose knew she was lovely, having glimpsed the photo that popped up as Jake answered her call. Rose wouldn't ruin that. For that matter, she wasn't even sure that she _could _if she wanted to, which she didn't.

Besides, some forbidden, whirlwind romance wasn't the reason Rose came to New York City anyway! She came here to find what had been missing, to find the chapters and to finish the book! It would seem that she'd made the right choice in moving after all. Within the two months she'd lived here, she managed to push through over a third of this book and was well aware of where and how this one would end. The dreams became more intense during her nights here, particularly after she would spend time with Jake. Perhaps it was because he reminded her so much of her character Kevin, he embodied the same characteristics and style and Rose would certainly allow Jake to be cast as the adult Kevin should they ever make a movie franchise from _The Slayer_ series.

She looked at her laptop. Was this the end for _The Slayer_? And what would happen if it was? Could she even write anything other than May and her dragon? It had been so long since she'd even tried. The fourth book in the series and getting so close to her ending, Rose realized that this may in fact be her final book and such an ending would be bittersweet. May will give her life to save her beloved by wishing the existence of all slayers away, including herself. The greatest threat to magical life would be gone, but the Dragon of New York would lose his first love. Many of the more vocal May/Kevin shippers in her fanbase would be furious, but Rose knew no other way to end the story. May would die. That was it.

"Well that's what fanfiction's for," Marie told her, being the only one who ever knew how Rose's books would end before they were finally ended. "The fans will probably either rewrite your ending, or find a way to bring May back, or they'll just pair the newly heartbroken Kevin with their own characters. You know, the usual." she grinned, "You know, Brad's got quite the collection of homoerotic _Slayer_ fanfiction. He gender-bent May into Mike. They're actually not that bad a read..."

Rose grimaced, "Never tell me anything like that again. Ever."

Rose knew there were many fanfictions out there, and she enjoyed reading quite a few of them. Some of them, however, she could live happily without ever knowing about. "So you don't think it's awful?"

"Nah, but then I love tragedy. Brad will probably silently break down, but it's your story. If May has to selflessly kick the bucket, power to her." Marie mentioned as she sat on the back of the couch. "But if this is the end, what're you going to do? Continue it as _The Dragon_ or something?"

"I don't know. I don't know what I would do with Kevin, he'll probably grow up and fall in love with someone new but I don't know if I can write about that. I might be as bad as my own fans." she laughed. "No, I'll write something else. Something unrelated... something new."

"It'll be weird not listening to you talk about slayers and dragons all the time. But... it might be good for you. I mean... you've been doing really good since you started writing all this stuff out but..." Marie honestly didn't know what else she could say about it... the entire ordeal was something she knew Rose didn't like to think about and perhaps Marie should let her just forget it all, but it scared her to remember and she was always worried that it would happen again.

Rose knew full well what Marie was getting at, "Look, I've been passed that part of my life. You know that. Just let that go, all right?" she looked at her with begging eyes.

"All right, fine. Just I worry—no, just never mind it. So, after it's done, are you staying here? Or are you moving back to Hong Kong?" Marie let herself fall backward into the couch, all Rose could see were her upward legs.

"I don't know yet. Not for a while, if I do decide to go back."

* * *

Danika didn't know what to do. She knew that Jake was hiding something from her. And now she knew that he was hiding something else from her too. She handled the book suspiciously in her hand, originally she hadn't thought of it. Perhaps Haley gave him the book to read, but Jake never read for fun and certainly not fantasy love stories. It wasn't until she noticed the spine was cracked open did she know he read it and then... that inscription.

_To Jake,_

_The hero of New York, you're great. Thanks for everything._

_Rose Whitman_

How did Jake even know Rose Whitman? When did he meet her? Why was he a hero?

The questions stung her like angry wasps. As if the secrets he was hiding from her before weren't bad enough, he had to add more. She wanted to confront him. She wanted to demand an answer. All answers! But at the same time, she didn't want to nag and appear paranoid—she _did_ trust Jake not to hurt her or betray her, she trusted that he loved her. But she couldn't help her suspicions that something was off here.

Unfortunately for her, though, even if she did confront him he would have answers ready and waiting. He was talented at brushing off her concerns and distracting her with well placed kisses and words of devotion and adoration. No, if she wanted the truth, she'd have to find other ways of getting it. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, placing the read book back on the shelf where she spotted it. She's have to find this Rose and find out what connection she had to her boyfriend.

**I promise, promise, promise that the next chapter won't take nearly as long to go up. Seriously. I abandoned certain stories and finished _Blazing Hearts_ so I will have more time for this one. Thanks again to those who haven't abandoned this story.**


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